A scheme to improve discovery of mobile apps has been launched by Amazon. The Appstore Developer Select program combines premium placement in the Amazon Appstore and ads on the Mobile Ad Network.

The program is open to developers who optimize their apps and games for Amazon's Appstore and Fire OS. Apps that qualify for the program will receive premium placement in the Amazon Appstore, 500,000 ad impressions on the Amazon Mobile Ad Network, and automatic inclusion in the Amazon Appstore Coins Reward category. Customers will receive Amazon Coins when they buy the apps or in-app items. Developers in the program also receive credits equaling 25% off their first $2,000 in AWS services annually. If you’re an existing Amazon Appstore developer, your qualifying apps will be automatically enrolled in the program.

An optimized app is one that renders natively in high definition and uses the entire screen without distortion, pixilation or stretching. The app needs to be optimized for the Amazon Appstore and Fire OS and include relevant Amazon APIs, such as GameCircle, In-App Purchasing, and Mobile Ads.

Amazon Coins are a virtual currency that customers can use to purchase apps, games and in-app items on Kindle Fire. Coins are earned with the purchase of qualified Appstore Developer Select apps, games and in-app items. Amazon Appstore customers automatically receive 250 bonus Coins for their first purchase of any qualified app or in-app item, and receive up to 30% back in Coins on future purchases.

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